Plastic waste makes up between 60 to 80% of total marine debris and scientists estimate that every year at least 1 million seabirds, 100,000 marine mammals and sea turtles die when they entangle themselves in, or ingest plastic pollution.
Not because of a straw though surely?
Although straws amount to a fraction of ocean plastic, their small size and lightweight nature makes them one of the most sinister polluters because they entangle marine animals and are consumed by fish. No global usage figures exist at the moment, but Americans alone use 500 million straws daily, according to the National Park Service.
Plastics can’t biodegrade – they last indefinitely breaking down into smaller pieces, littering our landscapes and oceans, feeding into the food chain and potentially ending up on our dinner plates. We have joined the growing number of restaurants and bars that have united in a bid to cut down the billions of straws discarded every year into landfill.
Of course, some people like a straw or need to use one for medical reasons but from the launch of our Winter Drinks List, we won’t be putting them into your drinks unless you ask for one and we hope you’ll join us on our journey to make the planet a little Peachier.
